Typewriter feeder



w. o. AcRncil-u-'IELD TYPEWRITER FEEDER Filed March -17, 1941 April 7,l1942.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS VApril 7, 1.942- w. o. cRrrcHr-'IELD V'2,278,915

TYPEWRITER FEEDER Filed March 1.7, 1941 2 sheets-sheet 2 llmllll". f

INVENTOR ATTO RN EYS Patented Apr. 7, 1942 'rYPEWRITER FEEDER lValter 0.Critcheld, Shelby, Ohio, assignor .Shelby Salesbook Company, Shelby,Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio.

Application March 17, 1941, Serial No. 383,866

(o1. arl- 42) 6 Claims.

My invention relates to typewriters, and has among its objects andadvantages the provisionl of an improved feeder for feeding sheets tothe machine.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is an elevational View ofmyinvention -in association with the cooperating mechanism the positionindi- Figure 6 is a view taken from the position indiv cated by line 6 6of Figure 4; and

4Figure '7 is an enlarged sectional view alongl the line 'I 'I of Figure6.

In the embodiment selected to illustrate my invention, the feeder I0 ismounted in an upright position at a slight angle to the vertical and issupported through the medium of bars I2 bolted to a bar I4 welded tobrackets I6 bolted to the typewriter carriage I8. The upper end marginsof the bars I2 are bolted at 20 to a plate 22 bolted at 24 to a bottomplate or wall 26 of the feeder III. Plate 26 is provided withright-angular flange 28 along its two vertical edge margins.

cover normally rests on the two flanges 28 to co- A coverk' 30 is hingedat 32 to one of the flanges 28 which are pressed gently against thesheets regardless of the number in the tray. Because of the crank 44,the shaft 40 may be rotated in a clockwise direction against the tension'of the spring 46'; as

when replenishing the sheet supply in the tray.,

The invention in the present case,A is primarily designed for handlingsheet units` in the nature of carbon interleavedforms. Theseforms areknown in thetrade as Speedisets.Snap0uts,"

etc., andv consists of two or more sheets of. paper with a one-timecarbon paper between each two. sheets, the ca rbon paper being somewhatshorter than the writing paper and all ofthe sheets, writing paper andcarbonpapenfastened to,- gether, either by pasting or wire stitching.`Fig. 4 illustrates one ofv the sheets orA forms .34 as being removedfrom the stack inthe ytray# and bent partly aboutthe typewriter'` platen50 ;in .the usual manner. The typewriter may be conventional inL everyrespect and includes the usual guide plate 52 which facilitates manualpositioning of sheets in p osition between theplaten 50 andthe pressureroll 54. l v

Connected with the cover 30 isa sheet feeding device 56 vWhich removessheets or forms 34 one at a time from thestack in the tray. Device 56comprises a `flat bar 58 lying'adjacent the inner face of the cover 30and provided with a friction pad at its upper end. Pad 60 may compriseact therewith and'with the plate -26 to provide a hopper or housing forsheets 3 4 to be fed to the machine one at a time in lieu of handfeeding.

Plate 26 and its fianges 28 function as an open" ended tray for thesheets 34.

The sheets 34 lie flat against the plate 26 and their lower ends rest onflanges 36 which may be welded to the plate.

margins, but the pressure is gentle so that the sheets may be lifted oneat a time from the stack without hindrance from the ngers. Both n.-

gers 38 are welded to a shaft 40 rotatably jour- Y, naled in the sidewalls 28 and restrained fromY relative longitudinal movement by reasonof key pins 42. One end of the shaft is bent to provide a crank 44 towhich one end of a tension spring 46 is attached, the other end of thespring being direction when viewing Fig. 4 so that the fingers j Pointedfingers 38v press thel sheets againstv the wall 26 along theirloweredgek rubber of. tapered kconfiguration-, with lits widest end pointingdown, and the pad fixedly securedk to the lbar 58 by rivets 62. Y

Two parallel slots 64 are provided in the cover 3U, and the bar 58 isprovided with tvvo wings 66 which are passable through the slots 64 andeach includes a narrow neck 68k which rides freely'in its respectiveslot 64. Normally theA necks 68 lie near the ends of the slots 64 andthe bottom ends of the wings 66 lie at the lower ends ofv the slots andare positioned at right angles tothe cover 36. A weight 10 is positionedbetween theWings 66-and secured to the latter by screws 12'. Both thewings 66 and the. weight 10 are provided lwith a common curvature 'I4arranged to be engaged by the sheets or forms 34 as they are removedfrom the machine.- sheets or forms so as to eliminate any obstructingaction on the part of the Wings and the weight, the latter constitutinga grip and a balancing means for the device 34. Y

Figs. 4, 6 and '1 illustrate thedevice 56 in its normal position, atwhichy time the lowerend of This curvaturedeflects the vide adeiiecting' run 80 which facilitates entrance of the bar 58 between thespring and the plate as it is moved from the dotted line position ofFig. 4 to its normal position of Fig. 7. According to Figs. 4 and 7, thedevice 56 is free to pivot when the bar 58 is moved clear of the spring16. In other words, the bar 58, in normally paralleling the cover 36, isarranged at an angle to the vertical and leans in the direction of thesheets 34 in the tray, so that the upper end of the bar pivots in thedirection of the sheets when the bar is moved clear of the spring 16.

A slight upward movement of the device 56 brings the bar 58 clear of thespring 116. As the bar 58 is moved upwardly, the pivotal motion of thedevice 56 brings the friction pad 66 into engagement with the outermostsheet or form 34 in the tray. Wings 66 are so spaced as to provide aconvenient grip to facilitate manual manipula- .tion of the device 56.Slight pressure on the wings 66 as the -device 56 is being movedupwardly `to the dotted line position of Fig 4 will pull the outermostsheet or form 34 from under-- neath the lingers 38 and slide this sheetor form 'upwardly to the dotted line position of Fig. 4.

Upon. a shaft 82 secured to the wings 66 is rmounted a roller 84arranged to engage the cover A3l) when the device 56 pivots to itsdotted line position ofFig. '7 or as soon as the bar 58 has been movedout of engagement with the spring 16. The roller 84 is positioned closeto the weight 16 and the spacing between the roller and the bar 58fisalso such as to provide ample accommodation for the pivotal action ofthe device 56. The lengthand weight of the bar 58, together with thefriction pad 60, is such as to overbalance the combined weight of thewings 66 and the weight 10. Also, manually releasing the device 56 inits uppermost position permits the device to gravitate downwardly to itsnormal position. While the device `56 pivots against the sheets or forms34 in its upward movement relatively to the cover 36, the device isreturned to its normal positions of Figs. 4 and 7 by reason of thespring 16 which engages the lower end of the bar 58 and pivots thedevice to the position illustrated. The roller 84 facilitates droppingof the device 56 vafter being manually released in its uppermost neaththe plate 26 and is bent to provide a deflecting lip 86 which convergesin the direction of the guide plate 52 to provide a throat 88 whichguides the sheet or form 34 into accurate position with respect to thepressure roll 54 and the platen 50. The sheet or form is permitted todrop into position so as to be accurately aligned and `ready to beturned into typing position in the machine. By reason of this action,the sheets or forms are absolutely straight in the machine, as ythesidewalls 23 of the tray act as guides to prevent misalignment of the sheetsor forms as 'they are successively brought into position in the machine.This feature eliminates the time consuming and diiiicult task ofmanually aligning sheets and forms in the typewriter.

` In actual operation, the ngers 38 press the forms or sheets 34 closelytogether about the pointed ends of the lingers so that the upper ends ofthe latter lie beneath the plane of the outer face of the outermostsheet. The sheets or forms are loosely compacted with the exception ofthe two limited zones about the pointed ends of the iingers. Thus thesheet or form elevated out of pressure engagement with the ngers 38 willdrop freely without obstruction from the fingers. Fig. 4 illustrates theangularity of the fingers which :facilitates dropping of the sheets orforms.

The device 56 is carried by the cover 30 so Ythat both may be movedclear of the tray by lmerely pivoting the cover to one side. The sheetsor forms 34 are then easily placed in position in the tray by grasping apredetermined number in the right hand and dropping the bunch intoposition as the fingers 38 are pivoted outwardly by grasping the crank44 with the left hand and turning the crank in a -clockwise direction,as when viewing Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 illustrates the manner in which the Wings 66 are extended intothe slots 64 in the normal position of the device 56. Thus thecurvatures 14 of the wings 66 extend into the slots 64 so as toeliminate any space which might constitute an obstruction for sheets orforms being turned out of the machine. The lip 86, while constituting athroat wall to facilitate dropping of sheets or forms into position inthe machine, may also function as a deflector when turning relativelyflexible sheets out of the machine.

'To the cover 36 is riveted an ear 90 which projects beyond the coversufliciently far to constitute a grip which facilitates opening of thecover.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate myinvention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adaptthe same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

1. A typewriter feeder adapted to be mounted on a typewriter platencarriage comprising a sheet support located above the platen, guidemeans for directing successive sheets to the introductory side of saidplaten, a resiliently urged clamp Afor holding the sheets on saidsupport, a second support, and a sheet feeding device pivotally andslidably mounted on said second support arranged to be manually broughtinto frictional engagement with the outermost sheet in the supply forpulling that sheet from said clamp and dropping the sheet into saidguide means, said first-mentioned support including a substantiallyvertically positioned tray having its bottom end opening into said guidemeans, and the sides of the tray restraining the successive sheets fromlateral shifting in their movement into said guide means.

2. A typewriter feeder adapted to be mounted on a typewriter platencarriage comprising an upright plate mounted on said carriage above saidplaten at an angle to the vertical, a flangelike means on said plate forsupporting sheets leaning on said plate, clamp means acting on saidsheets for holding the latter against said plate, guide means betweensaid plate and said platen for directing successive sheets' to theintroductory side of said platen, said plate having side wallsrestraining the sheets from lateral displacement, a cover hinged to oneof said side plates and normally resting on the other side plate, and asheet feeding device slidably and pivotally mounted on said cover andhaving a frictional element adapted to be moved into engagement with theoutermost sheet in the supply for pulling that sheet from said clampmeans and dropping the sheet into said guide means.

3. A typewriter feeder adapted to be mounted on a typewriter platencarriage comprising an upright plate mounted on said carriage above saidplaten at an angle to the vertical, a flangelike means on said plate forsupporting sheets leaning on said plate, clamp means acting on saidsheets fo'r holding the latter against said plate, guide means .betweensaid plate and said platen for directing successive sheets to theintroductory side of said platen, said plate having side wallsrestraining the sheets from lateral displacement, a cover hinged to oneof said side plates and normaily resting on the other side plate, asheet feeding device slidably and pivotally mounted on said cover andhaving a frictional element adapted to be moved into engagement with theoutermost sheet in the supply for pulling that sheet from said clampmeans and dropping the sheet into said guide means, said clamp meanscomprising pointed fingers bearing against the sheets in the supply,resilient means for yieldingly urging the fingers against the sheetsupply, and a crank means connected with said fingers to pivotthe sameaway fromsaid sheets to facilitate placement of a sheet supply on saidplate.

4. A typewriter feeder adapted to be mounted on a typewriter platencarriage comprising an upright plate mounted on said carriage above saidplaten at an angle to the vertical, a flange like means on said platefor supporting sheets leaning on said plate, clamp means acting on saidsheets for holding the latter against said plate, guide means betweensaid plate and said platen for directing successive sheets to theintroductory side of said platen, said plate having side wallsrestraining the sheets from lateral displacement,

a cover hinged to one of said side plates and normally resting on theother side plate, a sheet feeding device slidably and pivotally mountedon said cover and having a frictional element adapted to be moved intoengagement with the outermost sheet in the supply for pulling that sheetfrom said clamp means and dropping the sheet into said guide means, saidclamp means comprising pointed fingers bearing against the sheets in thesupply, resilient means for yieldingly urging the fingers against thesheet supply, and a crank means connected with said fingers to pivot thesame away from said sheets to facilitate placement of a sheet supply onsaid plate, said fingers being bent to provide deecting runs for guidingthe successive sheets into said guide means.

5. A typewriter feeder adapted to be mounted on a typewriter platencarriage comprising a sheet support mounted on the carriage and locatedabove said platen, said sheet support being 'in the nature of a tray, acover for the tray, said cover having a slot, guide means for directingsuccessive sheets to the introductory side of said platen, clamp meansfor holding the sheets on said support, a sheet feeding devicecomprisingv a member located adjacent the inner side of said cover andhaving a flange extending through said slot to provide a grip, africtional element mounted on said member, said member being slidablyand pivotally related to said'cover and said slot being longer than saidflange, a weight acting on said ange normally to hold said memberclosely adjacent said cover, said member being adapted to be pivoted forbringing said frictional element into engagement with the outermostsheet in the supply for elevating that sheet clear of said clamp meansand subsequently dropping and pivoting to its normal position fordropping the sheet into said guide means.

6. A typewriter feeder adapted to be mounted on a typewriter platencarriage comprising a sheet support mounted on said carriage and locatedabove said platen, said sh'eet support being in the nature of a traymounted in an upright position at-` an angle to the vertical, a flangeon said tray for supporting sheets leaning against the tray, clamp meansat the lower end of the tray for holdingY the sheets against the tray, a

cover for the tray, said cover being provided with slots, guide meansfor directing successive sheets to the introductory side of said platen,a sheet feeding device comprising a member located adjacent the innerside of said cover and having flanges `extending through said slots toprovide a grip, a weight secured to `said iianges, a roller carried bysaid anges closely adjacent said cover, a frictional element mounted onsaid member, said member being adapted for pivotal movement to bringsaid frictional element into engagement with the outermost sheet in thesupply for elevating that sheet clear of said clamp means andsubsequently dropping and pivoting to its normal position for droppingthe sheet into said guide means, said anges normally resting on thecover edges defining the bottom of said slots and said slots beinglonger than said flanges so that the latter may be moved upwardly insaid slots while removing a sheets from the supply, and a spring elementattached to said cover and acting on said member for pivoting the latterto its normal position as said flanges approach the lower ends of saidslots, said roller engaging the outer face of said cover during upwardand downward movement of the member relatively to said cover.

WALTER O. CRITCI-IFIELD.

